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Amanda Gorman Is The Young Poet Laureate Inspiring With Her Work On Race, Feminism And African Diaspora

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Amanda Gorman is the young American poet and activist from inspiring everyone with her work on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. Gorman is the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate.

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Amanda Gorman is a Los Angeles native who was raised by her mother, a teacher named Joan Wicks, with her two siblings. She has a twin sister, Gabrielle, who is an activist. Gorman has said she grew up in an environment with limited television access. She had a speech impediment as a child.
Read Also: KOKOnista Of The Day: Yewande Biala Is The Melanin Beauty With Brain Standing Up To Bullies And Racists\"\"She has described her young self as a “weird child” who enjoyed reading and writing and was encouraged by her mother. Gorman has said she has an auditory processing disorder and is hypersensitive to sound.

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Gorman attended New Roads, a private school in Santa Monica, for grades K-12. As a senior, she received a Milken Family Foundation college scholarship and studied sociology at Harvard College. While at Harvard, she became the first person to be named national youth poet laureate in April 2017. She was chosen from five finalists.

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Gorman said she was inspired to become a youth delegate for the United Nations in 2013 after watching a speech by Pakistani Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. Gorman was chosen as the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles in 2014. She published the poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015.

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Gorman is the founder of the nonprofit organisation One Pen One Page, which runs a youth writing and leadership program. In 2017, she became the first youth poet to open the literary season for the Library of Congress, and she has read her poetry on MTV. The Morgan Library and Museum acquired her poem “In This Place (An American Lyric)” and displayed it in 2020 near works by Elizabeth Bishop. \"\"In 2017, Gorman became the first author to be featured on XQ Institute’s Book of the Month, a monthly giveaway to share inspiring Gen Z’s favorite books. She wrote a tribute for black athletes for Nike and has a book deal with Viking Children’s Books to write two children’s picture books.

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In 2017, Gorman said she wants to run for president in 2036.

Her art and activism focus on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalisation, as well as the African diaspora.\"\"

She read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at Joe Biden‘s inauguration on January 20, 2021, and is the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration. After January 6, 2021, she amended her poem’s wording to address the storming of the United States Capitol.\"\"

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Amanda Gorman speaks at TED-Ed Weekend – November 17, 2020, TED HQ, New York, NY. Photo: Ryan Lash / TED

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Photo Credit: Getty

Entertainment

AFRIMA President speaks on fostering collaboration within African music community as BridgeAfric launches in Malawi |

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The President/Executive Producer, All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, Mike Dada, would be sharing his thought at the BridgeAfric’s Southern Africa launch in Malawi on March 23, 2024.

It is in continuation of promoting and showcasing African artistes, providing them with platforms to reach a global audience beyond their home countries,

BridgeAfric is a revolutionary initiative aimed at connecting African artistes and industry professionals across the continent led by the dynamic Victoria Nkong.

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With the theme; importance of fostering collaboration within the African music community, Dada would be speaking on the significance of working together in promoting African music on a global scale.

In his statement, the AFRIMA President noted that there are potential for growth and success that come from uniting artistes, producers, and other stakeholders in the industry.

Dada, who lauded BridgAfric for its efforts in connecting Malawians artistes with industry professionals, helping them to build their careers and reach a wider audience, said he is committed to supporting initiatives like BridgAfric that empower African artists and promote the rich diversity of African music. He believes that by working together, they can create a more vibrant and inclusive music industry that celebrates the talent and creativity of artists from across the continent.

“This is very significant for the growth, development and promotion of the arts and music industry in Africa, especially when you look at it from the point of view of collaborations, the Malawi music industry and connecting to the center of the journey of the ongoing movements and the development of the African industry to the global audience,” Dada submitted.

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South African billionaire commits suicide

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A South African billionaire, Markus Jooste has committed suicide as he was found dead with a gunshot wound near Cape Town.

It was reported that the billionaire shot himself in the head while taking a walk just few minutes from his Stellenbosch home.

The former Steinhoff CEO had been involved in an accounting fraud scandal as he got a hefty fine on Wednesday.

Police are investigating, stating that no foul play is suspected.

“It is alleged that the victim sustained a gunshot wound at around 1520 (local time) at Kwaaiwater and succumbed to death on his way to hospital,” Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut said in a statement.

Jooste’s death comes after a fine from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority for false financial statements linked to Steinhoff’s near-collapse in 2017 due to accounting irregularities. 

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El-Rufai Speaks On Dumping APC For SDP

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A former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has denied rumours of his planned defection of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

El-Rufai made an unexpected appearance at the SDP National Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.

The National Chairman of the SDP, Shehu Musa Gabam, and other chieftains of the party received the former Kaduna governor.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday issued by his spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai said he only visited the SDP headquarters to return a visit to the party’s chairman.

The former Minister said Gabam was among his friends who took part in the break of the Ramadan fast (Iftar) at his house in Abuja on Tuesday.

El-Rufai said he is known for being open and forthright, adding that his political decisions would not be subjected to speculation.

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